Chapter 65: Failed Matchmaking

As Song Yuan left the state owned restaurant, she held her head high, feeling like a soldier who had just won a battle.

Meeting up with Xiao Qingru not far away, she couldn’t help but complain, “You really can’t trust matchmakers. They’ll praise anyone to the skies, regardless of what kind of person they are. They only care about making the connection, they don’t worry if the two people will actually get along.”

“This Li Comrade was certainly confident,” Xiao Qingru replied, a bit surprised herself by what had happened.

Song Yuan laughed. “I think he’s either foolish or malicious. It’s already a new era, and he still wants to put the old ways on me. He should be looking for someone with no mind of her own, someone who’ll do everything he says.”

“And that someone has to be beautiful and come from a good family,” Xiao Qingru added.

Song Yuan chuckled. “There aren’t many women who’d be interested in him. With those demands, he’s better off dreaming.”

Linking arms with Xiao Qingru, she said, “Come on, let’s head to the supply and marketing cooperative before he goes on duty. I’ll have to avoid this place afterward, or I might throw up.”

Li Jiangang worked as a shop clerk there a respectable job on its own, but probably the only thing he had going for him. Song Yuan figured he didn’t seem like someone uninterested in relationships, he was likely just ignored by the women he encountered.

Seeing Song Yuan deep in thought, Xiao Qingru added, “At least he showed his true colors early. It’s better than meeting someone who pretends to be kind.”

Just thinking about someone who would hide their real character gave Song Yuan chills. “No wonder people say you should look for someone you really know.”

“Even familiarity doesn’t guarantee anything. A lot depends on luck. Some people can only keep up the act for a short time, while others can pretend for a lifetime saving their good side for outsiders and showing their bad side at home. Marrying the wrong person is really unlucky.”

Song Yuan sighed, patting her chest. “The way you’re describing it makes me afraid to date at all.”

“You don’t need to be scared. There are still plenty of good people out there.”

“Good people don’t necessarily make good partners. Take Jiang Chuan, for example. You can’t call him a bad person, but he’s frustrating to be around. Marrying him would be unfortunate.”

Some people even saw Jiang Chuan as a noble, selfless person, which only made Song Yuan more irritated. He should just stay single and focus on his good deeds then no one would get in the way of his charitable pursuits!

Xiao Qingru couldn’t help but laugh. Patting Song Yuan’s hand, she said, “He’s no longer relevant to us. Getting mad about him is pointless.”

“If I ever see him again, I’ll probably have to throw some insults his way to let out my frustration.”

Song Yuan let go of Xiao Qingru’s arm and, pushing her bicycle along, said, “Let’s go to the post office first. I need to call home, this experience left me feeling sick.”

The post office was on the way between the restaurant and the cooperative, so it was a quick detour. Though the call was expensive, Song Yuan kept it brief, repeating what Li Jiangang had said to her mother.

“Mom, next time you arrange a matchmaking meeting, don’t just trust the matchmaker’s words. Check out the person first.”

Her mother was also upset. She had thought that the Li family was respectable and had never imagined their son would be so rude. If Song Yuan had married into such a family, it would have been like falling into a pit of fire.

After a few choice words about the matchmaker, Song Yuan’s mother reassured her, “This was my fault for not investigating thoroughly. I’ll be more careful next time.”

With that, Song Yuan ended the call and went on her way.

At home, Song Yuan’s mother sat in silence, contemplating. She was determined to find someone suitable for her daughter. The young man in the production team had nothing to his name, and his family background was problematic. Even if he had a good heart, he wasn’t a match for Song Yuan.

If only Qin Bei had come from a better family, even a poor one, Song Yuan’s mother would have been more accepting. At worst, they could make him a live in son in law to ensure her daughter’s comfort. But some things just couldn’t be changed, and social class was one of them. Her daughter’s feelings would fade with time, but the consequences of marrying the wrong man would last a lifetime.

After some thought, she decided that she would focus on finding a match from their community, where she knew the families well enough to avoid being deceived.

The best candidate, of course, was Xiao Huaishu. His family had the best conditions, and among his peers, he was the most accomplished. But she was hesitant to approach his family, it might strain their relationship if things didn’t work out. So, she decided to keep looking but would turn to the Xiao family if necessary.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qingru and Xu Muzhou had just reunited.

“All done?” Xu Muzhou asked.

“All done,” Xiao Qingru answered.

Without asking further, he patted her head and said, “Let’s go buy some seeds?”

“Let’s go. We were just about to head to the cooperative.”

And so, their duo became a trio.

Song Yuan didn’t feel awkward, knowing she’d soon be heading back to school. She felt more at ease knowing Xu Muzhou was with Xiao Qingru.

Since they had already bought their daily supplies the day before, they only needed to pick up some seeds this time. Song Yuan grabbed a packet of pink toilet paper, too.

They ran into Li Jiangang again at the cooperative, and he sneered, “I see you’re all in this together. No wonder you stick up for each other. No wonder you’re still single and need to rely on matchmaking!”

Xu Muzhou’s eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint. “What did you just say? I didn’t quite catch that.”

Seeing Xu Muzhou’s tall and imposing figure, Li Jiangang hesitated, clearly intimidated. He quickly changed his tone, snatching up a bag of White Rabbit candies he had left with a coworker and scoffed, “I was planning on giving this to you, but I guess you’re just not worthy.”

With that, he hurried away, leaving them laughing at his petty behavior.

Song Yuan chuckled, “He really ran like a rabbit! If he hadn’t, I’d have given him a good throw to show him what our people are made of.”

“This is my first time meeting someone like him,” Xiao Qingru sighed. “The world really is full of strange people.”

“Qingru, I’m heading back to school now.”

“We’ll walk you back.”

“No need! I can bike there in twenty minutes. You two should get home soon, too, the weather’s been unpredictable, and it could start raining anytime.”

“Take care, then.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve taken this road plenty of times, and there are people working in the fields. I’ll be fine.”

After watching Song Yuan leave, Xiao Qingru and Xu Muzhou decided to head home.

On their way back, they spotted Qin Bei at an intersection, hurrying along until he disappeared from view.

“Is that Song Yuan’s…?” Xiao Qingru asked, glancing at Xu Muzhou.

“How did you guess?”

“Just a hunch.”

Xu Muzhou raised an eyebrow, amused. “Is that so?”

“You’re not one to pay attention to other men unless they’re connected to someone you know. You glanced at him a few times, and given how close we are to the production team, I figured it had to be related to Song Yuan.”

Her trust in him made Xu Muzhou happy.

Playfully, she added, “You’re so good at guessing. It’d be a waste if you didn’t get into detective work!”

Xu Muzhou laughed, “Now that you mention it, I might just consider it as a future career when I’m done flying planes.”

“So how are you going to thank me?”

“Seven times?”

“Get lost!”

With a playful pedal, she put some distance between them, but he quickly caught up, grinning.

“Come on, sweetheart! If seven’s too much, we can renegotiate.”